


Bulalakaw

by WhatWentWrongWithWalter



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Adult Mabel Pines, Adult Pacifica Northwest, Alternate Universe, F/F, F/M, Inspired by a Movie, Lesbian Pacifica Northwest, Philippines AU, That Thing Called Tadhana (2015), mentions of Grunkle Stan - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-02
Updated: 2017-10-15
Packaged: 2018-05-30 19:32:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6437389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhatWentWrongWithWalter/pseuds/WhatWentWrongWithWalter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An unintentional road trip with a stranger was only a spur-of-the-moment idea. Pacifica was desperate to forget; desperate to unload the emotional baggage of a heartbreak. And Mabel was desperate enough to run along, trying to forget someone else, too.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Baggage

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, I'm new to the Gravity Falls fandom, and I like mabifica. Also, I like indie Filipino movies. But, I don't necessarily like "That Thing Called Tadhana" among all the indies I've watched. The plot is quite interesting for a fan fic AU. So I thought about replacing the original character's names with Mabel's and Pacifica's, I said, "Hey, maybe this could work out. I'ma try this shit." So here I am.
> 
> Tadhana is Filipino for destiny or fate. It's not just pure luck or coincidence, but something meant-to-be, regardless of what. 
> 
> Bulalakaw, the title, means shooting star. Fitting for Mabel (and also, there's a scene in the movie about a shooting star). Bulalakaw is also a Philippine mythological god, who is almost often forgotten because of Amihan, the more popular goddess of a sister.
> 
> This fic (like my Haikyuu!! fic) is partly going to revolve on the beloved Philippines, specifically Baguio, Sagada, Session Road. Filipino words will be thrown, but I will do my best to provide understandable context clues. I will do footnotes or parenthetical translations, if ever. The chapter titles on the text itself are in Filipino. The drop-down menu for Chapters are in English. (I like to keep the text of the Filipino because some words can't really weigh down an exact translation. And I really just love the Filipino language.)
> 
> Since this is an AU, I will bend things for the characterization of the two lovely ladies, so it doesn't necessarily follow strictly the structure of the movie. Also, if you manage to get a good English translation of this movie, you can try watching it. It's not entirely a waste of time, but I have seen better. Peace.

**Kabanata 1: Bagahe**  
**(Gravity Falls: Mabel Pines x Pacifica Northwest)**

 

 

_Fuck these panties._

She wasn't embarrassed about sitting on the floor, slumped beside the trash bin, holding out a lacy red underwear. Tears clouded her eyes, but no one could tell behind those dark-tinted shades. 

_No. I can't lose this one yet._

Pacifica put the lingerie back in her luggage. She began to sort (again) through the mess of clothes, picking out the least of her favourites, the least glamourous ones, to throw out in the trash bin. A blue cardigan--goodbye. A violet mini-skirt she wore two years ago--goodbye. Those awful neon socks--eww, goodbye. A pair of faded black stockings--good-fucking-bye.

The brim of the bin was full of her stuff: some dresses, a couple of plain blouses, and a few loose-garter underwear, all dumped in the bin of rejection. She sighed as a final goodbye before slamming her luggage shut. Hopefully this time, she unloaded enough to make it in.

For the nth time, she hauled it back to the counter. It was only a few feet away. The staff re-welcomed her with a mocking smile and a mocking, "Yes, madame?"

"Please, one more try?" she bit back her pride, tried to sound pitiful. The woman allowed her to cut through the line of passengers who had their luggage for weighing, too. 

Her heart pounded as the numbers hit 20 and still continued to rise. It was 42 pounds now. Not bad, since it initially was 57. 

"I'm sorry, madame, but your baggage exceeds the limi--"

"Tangina naman," a curse in a foreign language. This left the staff confused. "Tanginang buhay 'to."

The blonde lady grabbed the handle and dragged it back to the same spot. A river of curses flowed along a couple of tears. She opened her luggage. Stared. Speechless. Her knees folded and slowly--dramatically--kissed the cold floor. Her shades crashed down. Eyes widened in horror. It was unlikely of her to crawl in a dress, but for the sake of incognito, she instantly fumbled to grab her fallen possession.

"Hey."

A pair of pink sneakers planted right before her eyes. A hand grabbed the leopard-patterned frames. Pacifica couldn't dare to look up. Still on all four (hands and knees bearing the cold airport tiles), she nailed her gaze to the floor.

"Hey, it's okay. Here."

The stranger held the shades right before her eyes, but Pacifica, rooted down in shame, didn't budge. The stranger didn't budge either.

"Listen, I heard you at the luggage counter a while ago. And... you... you said fuck you in Filipino, didn't you?"

Silence.

"When my Great Uncles visited the Philippines, that's the first thing they learned. Hahaha!"

Silence. 

"I'm heading to the Philippines myself. My twin brother already went ahead. I, uh, kinda... tried to fixed something up. Didn't work though... Oh, hey! Are you going there, too?"

Pacifica wanted to burst and scream at this random girl to go away, but didn't have the heart to move at all.

"Hey, if you're still listening... you can put some of your stuff in my pack. If you're going to the Philippines, too. I don't have much stuff, so you can put any excesses there. I don't mind."

That's when she looked up and saw that the stranger was now kneeling right before her, hand still holding the shades. She smiled, lined by retainers.

"I'm not a maniac," the stranger continued. "And I'm not a pervert. You would trust a person in a sweater, right?"

_What a kid. A dumb kid._

Pacifica found the courage to swipe her shades from the brunette's hand, turned away, went back to her luggage. She wore her shades, then began the sorting, the dumping, the clearing.

"Hey!"

"Look, girl, I'm fine on my own." And she dunked into the bin a purple sleeveless shirt with glitters and stars.

The stranger gasped and dived in to scoop it up.

"Don't you know this is rare?"

"Idiot, who told you that it's rare? I can buy another one online."

"Stop!"

"Eww, don't touch me! How dare you! You don't even wear gloves! Why would I even trust you to take my load?"

The brunette slowly backed away, an expression of hurt written all over her face. "I just wanted to help. Sorry." She backed away and slipped into the line. 

Pacifica continued to heave out more clothes, but a sting in her heart kept on bothering. Only minutes later, the same voice called her from behind.

"Hey."

"What?"

"I still got an extra 20 pounds to spare. Are you sure you don't want to...?"

Silence.

The stranger knelt beside her and opened her luggage.

"My name's Mabel, by the way. Now hand me your extras!" She was back to being cheerful.

"I'm Pacifica. Pacifica Northwest," she sighed, handing out the lacy red lingerie she couldn't dump away.


	2. Like in the Movies

**Parang Pelikula**  
**(Gravity Falls: Mabel Pines x Pacifica Northwest)**

 

Finally, they made it in and was comfortably seated somewhere at the back row of the plane. Pacifica had opened her laptop. Earphones plugged in-- a devious act to purposefully dodge this Mabel girl, who she had to sit with, only 'til they landed in the Philippines. Good thing there were lots of movies to keep her busy and prevent a conversation.

One of the new movies she had downloaded was a Filipino indie film called _Ned's Project_. An hour and a half film about Ned, a lesbian tattoo artist in Quezon province. Pacifica's past girlfriend was part of the crew, who knew the director personally. They even went to the screening together, shared a cup of coffee jelly, grabbed a quick kiss on that split-second black-out frame before the credits rolled. Eventually, she would get a soft copy and a picture with the lead actors. A memorable 7th anniversary gift. The second to the last gift before their break-up last May.

Luckily for her, Mabel fell asleep. No questions to entertain if ever her seatmate caught a glimpse of some heated scenes. Too embarrassing! Especially some "vulgar" words like pussy, cunt, fingering, displayed by the English subtitles that were clear and big at the bottom of the screen. Her eyes would often travel to those lines. These helped her understand the film more, because she felt a bit alien towards Filipino as a language. In all honesty, English was her mother-tongue. She only heard her parents use Filipino for the servants.

As a child, she had to ask the maid, Manang Linda, to teach her. It was still a fresh memory when Manang Linda got a whipping for that. There was this talk-shit discussion how Filipino was the language of the poor and uneducated, that it was improper for an intellectual to use this, that it was a big shame if a Northwest was caught speaking like the servants, gardeners, farmers, and so-called low-class citizens. All the more Pacifica wanted to learn. This was the first of many secrets to her parents.

Another secret would be her own identity, of course. She wasn't openly out as lesbian. (Or maybe bisexual? She was confused as heck.) It took a lot of courage to look into the mirror, look her straight in the eyes, and whisper that she likes girls. Mentally, she would ask herself if she really felt attracted to girls, that this wasn't just some phase. Both her brain and heart screamed a whooping YES! Yes, she was sure. As lesbians were often mistakenly stereotyped to be butch in physique or "ugly feminists," she was completely outraged how narrow other people could define one's identity.

Almost as outraged when the girlfriend of the protagonist in _Ned's Project_ (ironically named Gladys) left for some man. Ugh! Back to heteronormatism again! Ned was devastated, and so was Pacifica. Ned even had a tattoo of Gladys' name on her arm. It was nothing but an idiotic move now. Later on, Ned would change the Gladys tattoo into "I am Glad." And Pacifica would still taste that coffee jelly they had shared on the screening night. She would still wear that bracelet and reread that final love letter. She would still cry about it, months later, years later, and sometimes it would still hurt until now... 

_"Hindi. Ayoko. Gusto ko, ganoon pa rin. Gusto ko, siya lang."_

This was her favourite part, the part she cried the most on her first view. It was a simple scene, Ned was packing up her tools for work. she was with Sprikky, another lesbian friend, who offered to help, but she violently refused, telling her that she doesn't want Sprikky to break her stuff. Sprikky reasoned out that she could always buy a new one, then Ned dropped this cutting line:

_"No, I don't want to. I want things to just the way they are. I only want her."_

"Are you crying?"

Mabel. Mabel was awake now.

A hand flew to her mouth and she began to sob.

"Aww, what's the matter? Pacifica? Why are you...?"

She would not speak. Never. She only violently shook her head. Hand in mouth, trying to suppress the surfacing heartache. 

"Excuse me, miss? Tissue?" A flight attendant appeared on their row, handing out a small pack of tissue to the weeping blonde.

"Hindi ko kailangan ng tisyu!" she slipped, then translated herself in an instant. "No, I don't need tissue. Please stop judging me! Please, stop!" She sounded hysterical, only muttering. Stop, stop, stop, she asked, but neither the flight attendant nor Mabel knew what she meant.

Shocked, the flight attendant slowly backed away. Mabel still tapped her for the tissue. Pacifica had her face buried in her palms. She tapped her shoulder. Pacifica slowly turned her head. Facing sideways, she could see the tissue pack right before her eyes. She cautiously pulled out a single sheet, then turned around to blow her nose as silent as possible.

"Hey, you're watching a movie?" Mabel's body shifted closer to her seat. Wide eyes stared at the paused screen of Ned and her sister smoking. (Luckily, the scene wasn't suspiciously erotic.) "I love movies! C'mon, let's watch something. Together!"

"What? No! Get away!"

"Movies! Movies! Movies! Movies!" Mabel chanted with a goofy grin that displayed her retainers.

"Go watch in your own laptop!"

"Ha, you're funny! I don't owe fancy things like that for myself!"

"You... what?"

"I, umm, share a lot of things... with my brother... He's my fraternal twin, see."

Pacifica blinked, as if unable to comprehend. "You... shar... your stuff?"

"No, share. And, it's not exactly like my stuff is mine-mine. My stuffs are half-mine, and half-somebody else's. Which is usually my brother, Dipper."

Pacifica sniffled before closing the window for  _Ned's Project._ She navigated through the folders upon folders of movie files.

"I... I've got... lots of movies." She still couldn't look at Mabel in the eye.

"Alright! What do you want to watch?"

Her heart pumped furiously, unsure whether to trust Mabel or not. She didn't want to make a mistake. Northwests never do.

"Um... how about... Blue is the Warmest Color?"

She decided to open up a bit. Just a small hint. After all, she didn't want to be just another Northwest. She wanted to be that different and unique Northwest girl. "Oh, but it's three hours, girl," she added. 

Mabel fixed the headband she wore, pushed up all the stray hair on her forehead, then scooted closer to Pacifica.

"Sure way! It's going to be a loooooong ride."


	3. Trip to the North

**Kabanata 3: Pa-Norte  
** **(Gravity Falls: Mabel Pines x Pacifica Northwest)**

 

"There, that one."

"This nice purple one, right? Right?"

"Yes, that's mine."

Mabel hauled Pacifica's luggage from the baggage claim and dropped it with a thud beside them.

"Wow! That was heavy, you really brought a lot in here."

Crossing her arms, she merely uttered, "I have my whole life in it."

"Your entire life is in here? No wonder you have so much excess, girl!"

Pacifica glared at her. She snatched the stroller's handle, turned around with a hair flip, and started to walk out of the area.

"Hey, I haven't gotten my stuff ye--"

"Not my problem, you judger!"

"But your stuff's in there!"

Halted by the right reason. She walked back, clashing the heels of her boots on the tiles as loud as possible. The young woman stood inches apart from Mabel, who was looking at every bag that appeared through the dark mouth of the baggage claim. Nothing bright pink has surfaced yet.

"All I said you have excess baggage." Mabel quietly defended herself. 

"I didn't ask for your opinion, metal-mouth! Who cares if I bought my whole life in a stupid bag? That's my life, and my bag, thank you very much! Unless you're implying that I'm nothing but excess, because that's what my bag is to you, right? Excess? A fucking waste? Is that it, is that what you intend to say, huh? Fucking god, just stop judging me, okay! Puh-lease!"

Astonished by the sudden outburst, Mabel slowly nodded, puzzled at what the issue was all about. 

"I didn't say you were a waste. I said you brought too much. Isn't that the reason why you were barred at the airport back in Italy?"

"Just shut up, will you?"

"It's okay, no need to be angry. Everything's okay now. Because I've got some of that excess, so things are now lighter for you!"

She had that stupid grin again, Pacifica noticed. And when her eyes lit up at the sight of her patched up pink stroller, they seemed to glow like the stars. When she shouted in joy, like a gleeful child reunited with a beloved toy, her eyes seemed to go even rounder, even brighter, like the moon on a clear evening.

"So where to now?"

Snapping out of the reverie, Pacifica shrugged. "Actually... I... don't know. I don't... feel like going back to my place yet. It's probably a mess... And I don't want to talk about it."

"Well, how about my place--"

"Eww, are you kidding me?"

"A hotel?"

"Nah."

"The beach?"

"And get a tan? Well... nope."

"The park? The mall? Enchanted Kingdom, or Star City?"

"Too hot. Too noisy. And, gross, what are we? Five-year-olds?"

"Well then, to some place not too hot, and not too noisy, and not a child's dream vacation trip?"

"Like, where? You're in the Philippines, Mabel. This tropical country is all about heat and sun, noise and merriment, kids and bastards. Unless... oh my god."

"What? What is it? Oh my god, don't stare like that and leave me hanging! What is it!" 

A hushed voice dropped the words into a whisper: "Baguio City."

* * *

Drive, they told the taxi cab driver, and agreed to stop at the first restaurant they would come across. About twenty minutes, a Japanese restaurant called their attention. They asked the driver if he could wait for them as they take a quick lunch. The bus terminal was still miles away and it might be difficult to hail another cab from here (and also expensive). The middle-aged driver grunted and asked for a fee of Php. 130.00. Pacifica handed a down-payment of Php 25.00, telling they'd only pay the full price when they reach the terminal. How cunning.

The girls ordered a huge bowl of hot ramen each. Mabel used chopsticks like an inexperienced four-year-old, noodles slipping down more often than it should go in her mouth. Slurping, Pacifica didn't mind, but being messy about it ticked her off. She lectured her about elegance, about respect for the food, about--

"Hey, no, do not poke the pork meat with the chopstick, you silly dumb kid!"

"Boink! Like this?"

"Ugh! I told you to not, oh come on, Mabel!"

"Ooooooh, so not like that? How about like this?"

The brunette had just pierced another meat with the other utensil. Pacifica couldn't help but face palm and mutter, "You're going to have bad luck for years, I hope you do."

"Aww, c'mon! Lighten up, girl! Was just trying to make you happy! You're too serious, you know?"

"Of course I have to be serious! Life's not a game, Mabel. Stop acting like a kid. You're practically in your, what, I don't know, twenties or something? We have got to be prim and proper ladies."

"Sounds sooooooooo much like an adult or a parent, haha!"

"Well, I--" Pause. Reality slapped her. That shut her up. Mabel didn't noticed and continued to slurp the noodles.

Suddenly, an old song plays about in the restaurant. The music of a local band in the 90's with a song that Pacifica knew so well. An Eraserhead's song,  _With a Smile_ , permeated throughout the place. Her silence shattered. A deep sigh slipped her lips, then a hushed "Tangina naman." (Fuck this.)

_"Lift your head... Baby, don't be scared of the things that could go wrong along the way..."_

The first lines of the song jolted her to another feeling. Anger. Rage. Hurt. Dark eyes darted around the place, her neck craned to the suspects--those who were also having lunch in the place-- and searched for the one responsible.

"Excuse me," she called out to a middle-aged woman, who was busy eating fish with her hands. The noise seemed to be emanating from her spot. A small white Nokia rested atop the woman's table. "Excuse me? Miss? Hello, miss?" She had her body turned toward the woman. Pacifica raised her index menacingly. "Nagri-ring 'yung telepono niyo ho, paki sagot naman o. Ang ingay-ingay, bwisit. Makaabala pa ng iba, 'kala mong kung sino. Parang walang ibang tao rito a."

("Would you mind answering your phone? It's been fucking noisy, damn it. Who do you think you are, as if you owns the place, as if no one else's here.")

The Filipina raised a brow. She wiped her oily fingers on a tissue before pressing a button to silence the ringtone. Satisfied, Pacifica flipped her yellow locks victoriously. Mabel, across the table, gaped at her with wide eyes and a wide mouth.

"What."

"I can't believe you," she whispered. "You went all out on a stranger? Just like that? Why you ackin' so cray-cray, huh?"

"Ugh," she scoffed. "She was a bother, Mabel! Not like you would understand."

"I probably don't understand, but, I just... wouldn't berserk like that over Eraserheads?"

"No, Mabel, you don't know how... hurt... oh my god..." Her voice was cracking. She laid the chopsticks on the bowl's rim. Hands now covered her mouth. She held on to a silent scream, made sure her hands covered it up.

It took a while before Pacifica put her hands down on her lap. Eyes still glued down, glued on the bowl or the table. Shoulders hunched up. Quiet sniffling.

"You lost someone, too, didn't you?" 

Her head immediately shot up.

"I know it hurts. And there are things we couldn't forget. But... we have to. For them."

Pacifica held the hem of her dress tighter. How could a break-up still possibly hurt, three years after? The wound was not as fresh, but it kept growing bigger. It was sorer than ever. Her guts, her insides, they rumbled in confusion.

"Do you... do you want to talk about it?" 

The look on her face-- her smile-- was something Pacifica couldn't resist.

"I... Well, as you put it, I did... lose... someone." Pause. Sniff. Inhale. "And... and she was... very, very important, to me. Heh. I... I loved her... I think I still do?" She could feel the tears at bay and she had to swat them away with the back of her hand. "I don't know why. I'm so stupid."

"Aren't we all?"

"Yeah, stupid enough to cry and let this ramen go cold."

"Hey, was that a joke?" 

A giggle from the blonde was sufficient answer. They rushed their meal in silence, paid the bills separately, then went back in the cab. 

On their way to the terminal, Mabel fiddled with her own hair, braiding it once, then combing it out to braid it again. A cycle of braiding. Pacifica soon got bored of watching her and decided to look outside the window. The heat was oppressive on the burning pavements. People were draped with sweat all over their faces and bodies. Thank god for an air-conditioned cab.

"So," Pacifica started. "Why... why were you in Italy, hm?"

"I, uh, visited someone. A family." Mabel replied, eyes glued on the window. 

"Yeah, me, too. B-but not a family. An... almost family. Ugh, nevermind." She slapped her forehead in annoyance. "Talking about it doesn't really help." Pacifica slumped closer to the other window. Eye lids drooped down. 

Soon, the two ladies fell asleep with heavy hearts, heavier than any luggage they had carried.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some cultural things to note:
> 
> \- Enchanted Kingdom: an amusement park in Sta. Rosa, Laguna.
> 
> \- Star City: an amusement park in Pasay City. 
> 
> \- Baguio City: also known as "City of the Pines." AND I'M NOT EVEN KIDDING! SEE, HOW PERFECT BAGUIO CITY IS FOR MABEL HAHAHA. It's a place up Northern Philippines, notorious for it's cold atmosphere and strawberries. Also the pines, of course. So if you "hate the heat," this place is one of the coolest, by nature. Although Star City has an artificial Snow World. (Because, hello, tropical country. What do you expect, four seasons? No way!)
> 
> -Eraserheads: a really nice Filipino band from the 90's. "With a Smile" is a great and haunting song, too.


	4. Tipsy in Confusion

  **Kabanata 4: Lango sa Agam-agam**  
**(Gravity Falls: Mabel Pines x Pacifica Northwest)**

 

_"You had me at my best. She had me at my worst."_

Pacifica thought someone was actually crying, when it was only in television. Some Filipino film was playing on-board. She had no idea of the title or the story, but was sure about the actor. John Lloyd Cruz had a distinct face, and distinct mainstream genre of drama and romance. Typical. Many Filipino viewers just want kilig. Two people falling in love—no, specifically two straight characters falling in love. She grew tired of tasteless storylines, always jam-packed with heavy tears, as if love was the world's number one problem. 

Ironic that she shouldered the same problem, while mocking the romance-driven plots of mainstream local cinema.

The actors crying in film pierced her ears, then the sunlight. The string of light spilled over her eyelids, poking her face to wake up. She turned around, trying to figure out where she was... The sight of Mabel's head on her right shoulder made her jolt. Her heart felt like it was about to pop out of her ribcage.

"Oh my god! What the heck! Where the fuck are we?!"

Mabel, her head fallen down to Pacifica's lap, still had her eyes closed and mouth ajar. As if nothing happened.

"Hoy! Hoy!" She gently slapped her seatmate's pudgy cheeks. "Hoy, nasa'n na tayo?" (Hoy, where are we?)

"Ha-wha-oh MY GOSH! GRUNKLE STAN! NOOOOOO!"

Everyone's heads turned to Mabel, who sat upright, breathing heavily. The bus conductor approached their seat, asked, "Ano po iyon?" (What is it po?) Both ladies were too disoriented to even utter an answer. The blonde merely dismissed the conductor and the scene went back to normal silence.

“Hoy, ano ka ba?” Pacifica whispered. “What’s up? And why are we here?”

Still breathing with her mouth open, Mabel had both hands to her face. A parade of oh-my-god’s marched out of her lips in a staccato beat. Pacifica had no idea what to do but gently pat the other’s back, hoping for a piece of comfort.

“Just… ha… a bad dream,” Mabel fixed herself, her skirt and hair, and sat up straight. “Man, that was horrible!”

“What is? And, hey, do you know where the heck are we going…?”

“Oh, you said Baguio, right?”

“Wait. WHAT?!”

All heads turned around their direction once more. She quickly apologised for disturbing the people. She nudged her seatmate and hissed, “Putang ina, ano raw???” (What the fuck???)

“Hey, you did say you wanted to go to Baguio! And you were sober then!”

“Sober? What do you mean sober? I don’t even drink, silly!”

A mix of yawning laughter was Mabel’s reaction. She looked directly at her and mimicked, “ _ _I don’t even drink.__  Nice try, Pacifica! You’re the one who dragged us there, remember?”

“No???” Her voice sounded like a pitch higher than the last octave on the keyboard. And her brow ricocheted all the way to her bangs. “What the hell are we talking about? Are we even on the same page?”

“Wow, you don’t remember? Not a single…? Nothing? Not a single word about your ex and whatnot?”

“Oh my god, if this is something embarrassing, I swear to god.”

“Well, you rambled a lot, and you are hurt about your past relationship. But, hey, you sang so well at karaoke! Don’t think you should be embarr--”

Pacifica shoved both of her hands and corked Mabel’s mouth from any more words. Her hands begged her to shut up about what had happened. Not a clear memory surged, but snippets and fractions of the previous night slowly surfaced in mind. Yes, there was a room. A TV screen. A microphone with buttons, and she was holding that. She was unsure of her own voice, but the lyrics, __“Where do broken hearts go?”__ had an aftertaste. True, Mabel couldn’t be making this up.

“Sorry. You did start well, before you got too… emotional. You picked out—what’s the band again? Something like Hey Monday? Or was it Tuesday, I’m not sure… And of course you started belting! Heck, you even dared many Aegis songs! You sang __Sinta__ , __Luha__ , _Bakit_ , and _Sayang na Sayang_ , the birit hit songs.”

“Oh my god. Karaoke. Fuck.”

“I’m sorry. It was a good night for me. I didn’t know you didn’t drink, or sing, or desperately hurt about your ex…”

“So, I did drink?”

“But I swear, you did say Baguio when you were sober! You were even talking about your ex! Remember?”

Her mouth was already wide open with a response, but the bus halted abruptly, pushing back the words.

“Sorry po! Sorry po!” The driver was wiping his face with a small towel. The conductor of the bus pulled a lever and the doors swung open. Lunch break. They peered outside the window. The bus was parked right next to a small circle of eateries. There weren’t much people in line yet.

“Tara!” (Let’s go!) Mabel stood up and went to the aisle. With a sour but defeated face, the blonde finally stood up and walked down and out of the bus.

“What do you want for lunch?”

“I don’t know, maybe something light? I get nauseous when I eat too much…”

“Alright, a hotdog sandwich then! Or a footlong. Ikaw ba? (How about you, what do you think?)”

Pacifica sat on a table for two while Mable ordered. She came back with two footlongs, and placed them on the table. Pacifica immediately got the bottle of ketchup, squeezed out a zigzag pattern throughout the entire length of the sandwich.

“Um…”

She looked up at the brunette. “What.”

“I… I don’t really like anything with my footlong, sorry.”

“Ay! Oh my god, sorry!” Embarrassed, she explained, “Sorry talaga, my ano… my ex… She enjoys footlongs like that. She loves it when I put ketchup, and draw out a zigzag pattern, and--”

“Wow, you really can’t stop talking about your ex, can you?”

Embarrassment clawed her gut, she placed the ketchup down. Her eyes rolled as she muttered an apology. She took a bite and chewed slowly.

“Hmm. Sounds like there isn’t a thing in this world that doesn’t remind you of her…”

A sad smile crept up her face and she found herself slowly nodding, agreeing to this fact.

“Even in, um, let’s see here… a spoon?”

“O, she hates using plastic spoons. Or utensils in general. Environmentalist.”

“How about… maya? As in, the bird?”

“She loves the twittering mayas during the morning. Her bedroom window is close to a tree.”

“Um… Plastic?”

“One time, we thought something was following us at Luneta. But it turns out to be a floating plastic!”

“Nike shoes?”

“A, she owes pink ones, bought at Php. 4,598.25. Last October.”

“Colour blue?”

“Not her favourite colour. She’s a fan of yellow.”

“Hotdogs?”

“Hmm… too private for me to tell,” she giggled.

“Wow, kinky!”

“Hoy, just eat already! The bus might leave us soon.”

They ate in silence for a while, until…

“Do you… do you really want to forget? Your ex, I mean. From the looks of it—hey, I don’t mean to sound like a judger— but you have, um, an excess? An excess of this toxic person’s memory, it’s weighing you down already. Do you… Or are you ready to move on…”

Her ears perked up and grew hot. A little bit annoyed by the pressuring question, she gulped the food down.

“I… I honestly don’t know, Mabel.”

It was the safest answer to give. But it was true, she was uncertain.

“I’m sorry, I think that was such a loaded question. But, here, I propose something. For you to slowly move on!”

“Huh, what?”

“Each time you bring up and talk about your ex, you pay me.”

“O, you mean, like a swear jar, but instead, an __ex jar__?”

“Hey, hey, that’s real witty, Pacifica!”

“O, shut up! Putang ina, you’re as corny as my ex--oops…”

It was an amusing game. They agreed to hand each other Php. 100, to anyone who would talk about their ex. Even for a short period of time.

Just before the day turned into night, Mabel already held Php. 700 in hand. Pacifica had none to hold, none to give anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm very sorry, this is late. I've been working on my thesis, a graphic novel.
> 
> Glossary
> 
> -kilig: This word is actually not translatable into English. It's that "warm fuzzy feeling" of (happy) butterflies in your stomach; of sweetness overload due to something romantic or cheezy. Too much fluff for words to describe, I guess.  
> -John Lloyd Cruz: An iconic and good actor in the Philippines.   
> -maya: it's such a common brown bird in the country, smol brown bird  
> -judger: This is Filipino English, meaning a person who judges or assumes things. A person who presumes without any basis, or by mere observation. The other term is "assumptionist," which again, is Filipino English.


End file.
